Administrative tasks support the day to day operation of computing devices, such as laptop, desktops, and the like. System administrators, who maintain networked computing devices, perform many administrative tasks. One administrative task involves identifying problems with computing devices that are not operating as desired. One technique for diagnosing this type of problem involves comparing the computing device with a working computing device. This comparison may include visually reviewing settings between the two devices using a graphical user interface or performing a comparison between similar files on the two devices.
Different utilities for comparison have been available for quite some time. However, each type of file uses a tool particular to that type of file and has its own syntax and peculiarities. For example, if the type of file is a text file, a textual compare tool is used. Similarly, if the type of file is a binary file, a binary compare tool is used. In general, each of these comparison utilities walks through the files until a difference is encountered. When a difference is encountered, the difference is reported to the system administrator. While these comparison utilities are helpful, they often report differences that are not related to the problem. Therefore, there is a need for a comparison technique that provides more accurate results and more versatility.